Tag: Yemen crisis

The ongoing war between the Northern Shia rebels and the forces loyal to the exiled government of Yemen has forced the country to reach the verge of famine. According to UN, there are about 13 million people in the country that are in urgent need of help.

Though the fighting is over, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes is still on targeting the Houthi bastions in the northern regions of the country. But how it all started and how one of the oldest centers of human civilization in the Near East transformed into a blood-engrossed land of killed human bodies.

Weak unstable government, economic difficulties, marginalization, corruption, and exhaustion of the resources led to rebellious uprising against the government of Yemen in the year 2004. Years’ old contention resurfaced in the form of a violent conflict between forces allying to President Hadi and Zaidi Shia rebels, the Houthis.

The conflict continued for several months with massive killings of civilians, Yemen army personnel, and Houthis until Houthi rebels took a siege of president Hadi’s house compelling him to run away to Aden to save his life. After gaining strength from his supporters and allies, Hadi declared Aden as the temporary capital of Yemen while the Houthis kept on approaching towards the South of Yemen to reach Aden.

In an interim, Al-Qaeda established its base in Yemen after the downfall of its supreme leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Based on the ideology of strict radical Sunni Islam, Al-Qaeda opposed Houthis, and launched several terror attacks and bombings in the country that further fueled the ongoing conflict between the 2 sects.

Even after encountering several terror attacks, ambushes, and skirmishes with Al-Qaeda of Arabian Peninsula and allied forces of Hadi, Houthis forced their way to Hadi’s provisional capital Aden. Hadi had to abscond again to hide under the cover of Saudi Arabia.

Hadi pledged for Saudi intervention in Yemen to solve the ongoing political and religious crisis of the country that led to military intervention by Saudia Arabia in company with 8 other Arab states and with logistic support from the US.

Massive bombing and military operations by Saudi-led forces, terror attacks by Al-Qaeda, and the ongoing war between the Houthi rebels and the Yemen army as well as Hadi supporters led to a state of complete disorder and utter chaos in Yemen. This provided an ultimate battleground for the Islamic State affiliated extremist groups to establish their bases in Yemen and conduct terror attacks both against the militia and the innocent civilians.

On April 21st 2015, Saudi bombing crusade ended with the proposal of “Operation Restoring Hope” to end the war; however, airstrike didn’t stop against Hauthi bastions and war continued in Aden.

Yemen chaos resulted in massive destruction of the already depleting natural resources transforming the highly fertile land of Yemen to a desolated, war-torn piece of earth. Once known as Arabic Felix which means happy or fortunate Arabia, the country drastically hit by hunger and famine leaving approximately 20 million Yemenis to be food deprived.